United States Foreign Relations Albania

Albania hinted that it was moving closer to renewing diplomatic ties with Washington, broken more than 50 years ago. The state news agency ATA, monitored in Vienna, said Albanian and U.S. officials met last week in Washington to discuss "the procedure and necessary documents for the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries in the near future. Both parties agreed to meet again to formulate the respective documents." Albania is Europe's last orthodox Communist state.

The U.S. frigate John L. Hall docked in the Albanian port of Durres on Friday in the first visit to the country by the U.S. Navy since World War II. The frigate, part of the 6th Fleet battle group, is operating in the Adriatic Sea under North Atlantic Treaty Organization command on a sanctions-monitoring mission off the Yugoslav coast.

The Bush Administration agreed Tuesday to restore diplomatic relations with Albania, Europe's poorest country and for decades an isolated bastion of Stalinist orthodoxy, after a break of more than half a century. Although Albania is ruled by one of Eastern Europe's last surviving Communist governments, the State Department said that Washington is ready to send an American ambassador to help encourage political and economic reform.

As more than 200,000 Albanians waved paper American flags and chanted "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" Secretary of State James A. Baker III celebrated the fall of one of Europe's last Communist regimes Saturday with a declaration that "freedom works." For a country that replaced its Communist-dominated government just 10 days ago, Baker's visit was a massive coming-out party.

The U.S. frigate John L. Hall docked in the Albanian port of Durres on Friday in the first visit to the country by the U.S. Navy since World War II. The frigate, part of the 6th Fleet battle group, is operating in the Adriatic Sea under North Atlantic Treaty Organization command on a sanctions-monitoring mission off the Yugoslav coast.

As more than 200,000 Albanians waved paper American flags and chanted "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" Secretary of State James A. Baker III celebrated the fall of one of Europe's last Communist regimes Saturday with a declaration that "freedom works." For a country that replaced its Communist-dominated government just 10 days ago, Baker's visit was a massive coming-out party.

The United States renewed diplomatic relations with Albania on Friday after a break of 52 years and urged the last Communist state of Eastern Europe to move ahead with democratic reform. At a State Department ceremony in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Raymond Seitz and Albanian Foreign Minister Muhamet Kapllani signed a memo of understanding restoring relations severed in June, 1939.

If Croatia and Slovenia, the two most Western-oriented and democratic of Yugoslavia's six republics, leave the 73-year-old federation, it would undermine the cause of human rights and economic reform, Secretary of State James A. Baker III said Monday. "We think that it will be very difficult to foster sufficient respect for human rights and for conversion to a market economy if the country breaks up into . . . its constituent parts," Baker said.

The Bush Administration said Tuesday that it is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Albania, Europe's poorest and last surviving Stalinist state. "Our door is open to the resumption of diplomatic relations, and we are ready to pursue discussions toward this end," State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said. But she emphasized that the next move is up to Albania.

It was nearly midnight, and rain fell as an Albanian stood under an umbrella and talked to a stranger, an American, about forbidden things. All at once, he stopped. "Policia!" he whispered. Then he turned and walked off. Two policemen strode past and caught up with him, escorting him into the shadows of an alley. A few days later, by chance, he saw the American again. The police had held him for more than an hour, he said.

If Croatia and Slovenia, the two most Western-oriented and democratic of Yugoslavia's six republics, leave the 73-year-old federation, it would undermine the cause of human rights and economic reform, Secretary of State James A. Baker III said Monday. "We think that it will be very difficult to foster sufficient respect for human rights and for conversion to a market economy if the country breaks up into . . . its constituent parts," Baker said.

The United States renewed diplomatic relations with Albania on Friday after a break of 52 years and urged the last Communist state of Eastern Europe to move ahead with democratic reform. At a State Department ceremony in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Raymond Seitz and Albanian Foreign Minister Muhamet Kapllani signed a memo of understanding restoring relations severed in June, 1939.

The Bush Administration agreed Tuesday to restore diplomatic relations with Albania, Europe's poorest country and for decades an isolated bastion of Stalinist orthodoxy, after a break of more than half a century. Although Albania is ruled by one of Eastern Europe's last surviving Communist governments, the State Department said that Washington is ready to send an American ambassador to help encourage political and economic reform.

Albania hinted that it was moving closer to renewing diplomatic ties with Washington, broken more than 50 years ago. The state news agency ATA, monitored in Vienna, said Albanian and U.S. officials met last week in Washington to discuss "the procedure and necessary documents for the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries in the near future. Both parties agreed to meet again to formulate the respective documents." Albania is Europe's last orthodox Communist state.

It was nearly midnight, and rain fell as an Albanian stood under an umbrella and talked to a stranger, an American, about forbidden things. All at once, he stopped. "Policia!" he whispered. Then he turned and walked off. Two policemen strode past and caught up with him, escorting him into the shadows of an alley. A few days later, by chance, he saw the American again. The police had held him for more than an hour, he said.

The Bush Administration said Tuesday that it is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Albania, Europe's poorest and last surviving Stalinist state. "Our door is open to the resumption of diplomatic relations, and we are ready to pursue discussions toward this end," State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said. But she emphasized that the next move is up to Albania.